Zuko And The 6 Best Redemption Arcs On TV

Even if you've never seen a single episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, chances are you've still heard of Zuko and his redemption arc. If he isn't number one on every sort of list, then there's something wrong because no character journey matches his. As the son of a tyrant, so much of Zuko's arc is driven by his father and the expectations set on him. 

The absence of love and respect, as well as the innate desire for it, naturally hardens the best characters when they feel they aren't enough, and their urge to prove their worth leads to quests that aren't always honorable despite their true intentions. In the show's three-season run, we see Zuko wrestle with what it means to be valuable and how to come face-to-face with the destiny he was always meant to choose by finding his most honorable self in the process. With an arc as impactful as Zuko's is in setting a standard, a couple hundred characters aren't nearly enough to explore just how memorable his journey is.

Steve Harrington isn't exactly a villain in Stranger Things Season 1, but he's introduced to us as a stereotypical jock who'd rather spend most of his time being selfish and arrogant. Then, all at once, he's thrust into a wildly dangerous situation where he proves that his random acts of kindness here and there aren't to show off, but are a part of him that he doesn't let people see often enough. It's after Season 2 that Steve not only becomes a fan favorite character, but he continues to better himself, doing everything in his power to protect the kids in a way no one else manages.

It would've been easy for the show to let him stay a jock throughout all five seasons, but instead, they gave him the kind of layers that prove how sometimes, the best people just need a little push. They need a purpose and a reason to fight, and the moment Steve finds that, there's no going back for him. His arc is so layered, so impactful, that for years to come, he's going to be a character people will remember and refer back to when redemption arcs are discussed.

Interestingly, women are rarely given redemption arcs the way men are, and maybe it's because we've always been waiting for Rebecca Welton to show us how it's done. Ted Lasso does something so extraordinarily gripping with Hannah Waddingham's character that it's nearly impossible to put it into words. At first, she's ruthless, cunning, and set on a quest for destruction, but through Ted's kindness and the friendships she makes along the way, Rebecca recognizes that she can move forward by embracing the light in her that her ex-husband tried to dim. 

It's the parts of her she deserves to live out. Layered, complex, and all-around a force to be reckoned with, Rebecca becomes the type of boss that sets a standard for how women in charge should be. She holds her own and fights for what she believes in, but the woman who once wanted to destroy an entire football club is now in charge of another one, too, and if that's not the most beautiful, full-circle arc, then I don't know what is.

When we first meet Loki in Thor (2011), it's easy to wonder if he'll get a redemption arc, but then The Avengers (2012) essentially makes it seem like an impossible feat when it showcases him as the primary villain and reveals just how vicious he can actually be. Yet throughout the Marvel phases, gradually, he begins to show that there's more to him than meets the eye, and all the isolated boy ever wanted was to be loved the same way his brother was.

The God of Mischief we meet later again in Loki (2021) isn't the one we watch die in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), but he's a version who recognizes the same adoration from Thor, showcasing that in every world, he is meant to be some sort of protector and not a destroyer. In the Season 2 finale, when he chooses to become the God of Stories, Loki's redemption arc is fully complete through the kind of sacrificial arc that reveals a brilliant character journey. Of all the characters in the MCU, no one has a more satisfying arc.

Only Once Upon a Time could take Captain Hook and make him an absolute heartthrob through Colin O'Donoghue's portrayal. He's just as arrogant and self-serving as the cartoon version when we first meet him, but through Emma Swan's belief in the fact that he can be better, he grows. Love shouldn't have to change people, but the series does something wholly believable in how it explores Killian's character growth with the reminder that it's a person's choices that make them who they are. 

Set on a quest for vengeance against Rumpelstiltskin, Killian slowly starts to drop it all when Emma presents him with the opportunity to be a part of something bigger. And as the show reveals, it isn't easy for him, but the decision to continue making hard choices is exactly what gets him to a place where he becomes worthy of her love and the respect of the entire town. If Once Upon a Time got one thing right, it's his top-tier redemption arc and the glorious rivals-to-lovers romance with Emma.

I debated picking one of them, but when it comes to One Tree Hill, there's no denying that the two most important characters are Brooke Davis and Nathan Scott. Both of them are the stereotypical popular kids whose behaviors are driven by the lack of love they grew up with; however, the two of them ultimately become the kind of parents and friends that are ideal in every way. (They aren't a couple for those who didn't watch the show, just good friends who are often on parallel paths in the most riveting way.)

Both Nathan and Brooke are every teenager's nightmare in the first few episodes, as their actions are petty and vindictive, but later down the line, when we see their true colors, they become the exact people every person deserves in their corner. They become goodness and light personified, showcasing that the best characters sometimes are the ones we start off being extremely frustrated by.